Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-02-03
CAPITAL NOTES.

matter in Legislative circles the past
week The case is in brief as fol-
lows: J. II. Tate was the Democratic
and Isaac Mccain the Republican
nominee for Assemblyman. On the
face of the returns Tate had ma
iority Of some forty over Mccain.
II was discovered however that the
officers Of one town, which returned
over eighty majority for Tate, had,
after making up their return, burned
the ballots, instead of returning
them to the county clerk, as the law
required. Learning of this irregu-
larity, Mccain demanded recount
of the ballots in the manner proyid-
ed for by statute With this demand
Cor a recount pending, the county
canvassers met, canvassed the re-
turns as made by the several towns,
and from them finding Tate 10 have
received the greatest number Of
votes, he was given a regular certlii-
cate Of election. Subsequently, up
on recounting the ballots pursuant
to the demand OF Mccain, these
county canvassers found that on the
ballots returned Mccain had the
greatest number Of votes, and the
county clerk gave him a statement
to that effect. Armed with this
evidence, McCann appears before
the Secretary of State, and demands
that, it being the latest evidence as
to the result Of the election for Mem
Der of Assembly from Richland
county, his name should be placed
on the official list of members elect.
The Secretary, under advice OF the
Attorney General declined to do
this, and in compiling his list of
members elect, included no name
from Richlaud county. This throws
the matter wholly into the hands of
the Assembly 1t was referred to
the committee on privileges and
elections, and at two or three SEES.
sions the past week that committee
has wrestled with the subject. Fin
ally, an agreement was reached to
report Tate as elected, and Mccain
as contestant.
Both claimants are represented by
attorneys, and evidently there is
much feeling on the matter among
the people Of Richland county, as
large numbers have been here al
most daily since the opening of the
session, " behalf of one claimant
or the other. Mccain insists that
he does not base hls claim merely
upon the failure to preserve the bal
lots as the law provides, but upon
grounds of false counting and fraud
as we'll A feature of the contest
was q direct proposition by McCann
to have the people of the town re-
vote upon the question; he stipulat-
ing that if at such re-voting Tate
should receive sufficient majority in
the town to overcome his (AlcCann's)
admitted majority in the other
towns, he would drop the contest.
All expense of such special election
Mccain prolrered to pay, whatever
the result might be. This mode of
settlement Tate declined, which
naturally tended to McCann's adyan-
tage so far as sympathy of outsiders
is concerned. There is no political
significance whatever in the contest.
The most active adherents of Tate
are Republicans, while several
stauEch Democrats are found in the
McCann phalanx. Unless something
more than the iregularity in regard
to preserving the ballots is devel-
oped, Tate will probably retain his
seat, and an appropriation equal 10
the salary will be made to the con
testaut, in accordance with a custom
for which no good explanation has
yet been made.
As expected bill is in for $500,
600 to complete and equip the Sci
ence hall buildings at the University.
This sum, with the 100000 appro-